In the Pink

In the Pink

By Gabrielle Tieman-Lee

‘Tis every season for rosé! It’s refreshing, mildly sweet and pairs with so many dishes in any season.

But if you thought the only way to enjoy rosé was out of a glass, think again. Pick up your go-to bottle of chilled Niagara rosé and try one of these clever cocktails or bubbly sweet desserts that make use of your favorite pink ingredient.

Rosé popsicles

Who doesn’t love a Popsicle? After a hot day outside, nothing can quite cool you down like an icy pop of fruit. But these are not your kids' popsicles: slightly effervescent with a punch of spirited wine, these will cool you down and chill you out simultaneously.

Ingredients

2 cups rosé wine (for this recipe, use a floral and fruity rosé like Megalomaniac’s Pink Slip)

½ cup water ½ cup sugar 1 tsp orange zest

2 tsp Spirits (for an extra pop of rose, use Wayne Gretzky Estates Rose Artisanal Spirited Wine)

Fresh fruit (strawberries, raspberries, lemon, watermelon, etc.)

Combine water and sugar in a small sauce pot, bring to a boil. Remove from heat and let cool.

Combine rosé, sugar-water mixture, orange zest and Spirits in a medium bowl. Place fruit into Popsicle molds and then pour the rosé mixture on top.

Insert the Popsicle sticks and freeze overnight or until fairly solid. Any way you cook it up, rosé is the way!

Rosé Jelly

Add a little blush to your charcuterie boards this spring: rosé jelly is the condiment for adults. This simple recipe transforms your wine into a subtly-sweet, jelly-esque spread. It’s the ultimate compliment to wine and cheese night with friends.

Ingredients

4 cups rosé wine (for this recipe, use a sweet and fruity rosé like Trius Rosé)

¾ cup fresh lemon juice 1 package (2 oz) dry pectin 5 cups white sugar

Combine rosé, lemon juice and pectin in a large saucepot. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Add sugar, stirring until dissolved. Return to a boil and boil hard for one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Remove foam from top if necessary.

Ladle hot jelly into hot, sterilized jars, leaving ½ inch air space. Tighten lid and process for 5 minutes in boiling water bath.

Frosé

Hybrid cocktails continue to be all the rage in 2019. Embrace the trend by combining the icy-sweet slushies from childhood with your favourite rosé of today. This blended frozen cocktail is the perfect beverage for the first hot day of the season where a chilled bottle just does not quite cut that heat. (The best part: this Frosé can be made a week ahead! But who will actually leave this in their freezer that long!)

Ingredients

1 bottle rosé (for this recipe, use a bold flavoured bottle like De Simone Vineyards Vidal Rosé)

½ cup sugar 8 oz strawberries, hulled and quartered 2 ½ oz fresh lemon juice

Pour rosé into a pan and freeze until almost solid (it won’t completely solidify due to the alcohol). This takes approximately five hours.

Bring sugar and half cup water to a boil in a medium saucepan; cook, stirring constantly, until sugar dissolves. Add strawberries, remove from heat and rest for 30 minutes to infuse syrup with strawberry flavor. Strain into a small bowl then cover and chill until cold – about 30 minutes.

Scrape rosé into a blender. Add lemon juice, 3½ ounces strawberry syrup and one cup crushed ice and purée until smooth. Transfer mixture to freezer and leave until Frosé is thickened (aim for milkshake consistency); this will take approximately 25–35 minutes. Blend again until Frosé is slushy.

Rosé Raspberry Cupcakes

This is the sweetest dessert for a bridal or baby shower or simply to have on any sunny day. The Rosé Raspberry Cupcake is an innovative twist on the ordinary summer treat; the vanilla cake base has rosé baked into it for a subtle hint of wine and the wine-infused buttercream frosting amps it up and brings both flavors to life.

Ingredients (Recipe from CompletelyDelicious.com)

Cupcakes:

½ cup rosé wine (for this recipe, use a dry and tangy blend like Thirty Bench Small Lot Rosé)

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar 2 large eggs + 1 large egg yolk

½ tsp almond extract

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt Buttercream Frosting:

Pinch salt

Additional raspberries, for garnish Preheat oven to 350°F and line a muffin tin with cupcake papers.

In a mixer, beat butter and sugar together on medium high speed until light and creamy, about three minutes.

In separate bowl, combine eggs, egg yolk, rosé wine and almond extract. In another bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add dry ingredients to mixer in three additions, alternating with egg mixture, stirring to combine after each addition. Beat briefly until smooth.

Scoop batter into the prepared muffin pan, filling each cup only 2/3 full. Bake until cupcakes just begin to turn golden about 15-18 minutes. Let cool completely.

For buttercream, combine raspberries and rosé wine in small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to boil and simmer for 30 minutes or until reduced and thickened to about 1/4 cup. Pass through mesh strainer to remove raspberry seeds and let cool completely.

Combine butter, sifted powdered sugar, salt and reduced raspberry rosé mixture and mix until combined. Increase speed to medium high and beat until smooth and creamy, about 2-3 minutes. Frost cupcakes as desired and garnish. TM